1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image processing apparatus drawing, based on PDL commands, gradation patterns in which plural shape drawing objects each having a density different from each other are overlapped and, more particularly, to an image processing apparatus realizing drawing processing for gradation patters with higher speed. This invention also relates to a program realizing this image processing apparatus.
2. Background of Related Art
Image processing apparatuses have been aiming at higher speed gradation pattern drawing processing by converting respective drawing commands to a drawing command for gradation pattern upon combining the drawing commands in a case where drawing a gradation pattern in which color changes gradually in a continuous direction based on drawing commands obtained from a host apparatus (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-235,855).
In drawing the gradation pattern, however, such an apparatus uses various types of PDL (Page Description Language) commands in accordance with application software to be used. With such an image processing apparatus of a prior art, there raises a problem that the apparatus is unable to perform high speed drawing processing for gradation patterns because of having no adjacent relationship among respective shape drawing objects to be drawn, in a case of using, e.g., a PDL command drawing a gradation pattern upon overlapping shape drawing objects of several tens while changing the density gradually.